Antifriction roller side bearing



May 27, 1930. J. F. occJNmSR 1 1,700,206

ANTIFRICTION ROLLER SIDE BEARING Filed April 3. 1924 1114/ l L; E

Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN F.

OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

W. H. MINER, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ANTIFRICTION ROLLER SIDE BEARING Application filed April 3,

b roller bearing especially adapted for use as a railway car side bearing and wherein the parts are so arranged that the anti-friction clementproper is automatically returned to its Ciormal central position when free from loa Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that is self-contained, all parts of which are main tained in permanently assembled relation and which is adapted to be applied as a unit to the bolster of a railway car.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in a bearing of the kind described, an anti-friction roller acting in cooperation with a pair of side members, said parts beingk so arranged that the roller will transmit the full load for a predetermined part of its travel from central position, said side members displacing the roller so that the load is thereafter transmitted to the roller and side members in series, the continued travel of said roller and side members terminating atv the extreme position of the side members, in which position the roller is free to rotate under continued travel of the cooperating bolster.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the ends of the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, showing my improvements in connection therewith. And Figuref2 is a vertical sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In' said drawing, 10 denotes the upper side of a truck bolster and 11 the under side of the corresponding opposed body bolster. The improved side bearing is shown as applied to the body bolster and comprises broadly, a base casting, retaining member or housing A; an anti-friction element proper B; rockers or side members C-C at the ends 1924. Serial No. 703,901.

of said anti-friction element; and springs 27-27.

` The housing A. is more or less box-like in form, having curved end walls 12 and vertical side walls 13, the lower ends of said side walls being flanged inwardly toward one another as indicated at 14 to provide an opening 15 therebetween, and the upper ends of said side walls being flanged inwardly toward one another as indicated at 16. Openings are provided centrally of the housing through said top flanges 16 as indicated at 17 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A bearing plate 18 is adapted to be interposed between the housing and the body bolster to receive the thrust transmitted to the cooperating truck bolster. Lugs 19 are provided on the housing, said lugs extending laterally therefrom and adapted to receive rivets 2O therethrough, whereby the housing may be secured to the bearing plate 18. The bearing plate is in turn secured to the body bolster by rivets 21 or the like. Extending inwardly from the opposite end walls of the housing are webs 22, said webs forming abutment's or stops in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The anti-friction elementB is inthe form of an anti-friction roller adapted to roll back and forth on the bearing plate 18 and project through the opening 15 between the flanges 14 ofthe housing, so that when the loadl is applied, said roller will engage between the bearing plate 18 and the truck bolster 10, and transmit the load therebetween. Positioned axially through the roller isa pin having its ends 23 projecting beyond the ends of the roller.

The Vside members or rockers C are arranged oneat each end of the roller, said rockers having hubs 24 provided with bores 123 therethrough whereby the rockers may be pivotally mounted upon the projecting ends 23 of the pin. The upper ends of said rockers are made arcuate as at 25 and have a radius greater than that of said roller and eccentric thereto, so that when the rockers are mounted upon the pin projections and are in their normal central position, the centers of said arcuate edgesl are spaced a slightdistance from the bearing plate 18, while the roller B is in engagement therewith. Lugs or -projections 26 extend laterally from the upper ends of said rockers as shown.

In order to maintain the parts in their normal central position, there is a resilient member or spring 27 arranged between each rocker and the outer wall 13 of the housing, each spring having its ends curved and engaging the curved end walls and the bottom fiange of the housing, said spring being provided with a downwardly extending depression 28 at its center, this depressed portion 28 being adapted to pivotally receive the projections 26 of the rockers to support the rockers and roller in position.

In assembling the parts, the roller and rockers are first inter-connected by means of the pin and are then inserted into the housings, the projections 26 passing through the opening 17 of the top flanges 16, the springs 27 being already in place within the housing so that the rocker projections 26 will seat in the spring depressions. A

The'operation of the device is as follows, assuming that the roller is moved to the right toward its dotted line position shown in F l1gure 1. During the first portion of travel, the roller rolls along the bearing plate for a predetermined distance, directly transmitting the full load between the bearing Yplate and truck bolster until those portions of the arcuate edges of the rockers thaty project beyond the periphery of the roll-er engage said bearing plate, whereupon the load is transmitted thru the roller and rockers in series, after which the rockers, working against the spring pressure move the roller away from the bearing plate a slight distance, sai-d rockers rocking until their hubs 24 abut against the stops 22 of the housing. VAfter the roller is lifted away from the bearing plate it may revolve on its journals about a fixed axis to thus permit unlimited travel. Y

It will be noted that the bearing plate 18 is of sufcient width so that both thevrockers and the roller may bear thereagainst. As the rockers are rocked toward their eXtreme positions, the springs are flexed, so that when the load is released, the springs will return the rockers and roller to their normal central position. t

' It will be evident that bythe construction herei-nbefore described, side bearing which is 'self-contained, and which may be applied to the bolster as a unit, said parts being held in permanently assembled relation so that the parts thereof are not lost before shipment or application to the railway car.

I have herein shown kand described what Il now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention but thesarne is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modiiic'ations that come Within the scope of Athe claims appended hereto.

I have produced av I claim:

1. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a housing adapted to be secured to a body bolster and having an interior bearing' surface; of an anti-friction roller; a rocker connected to each end of said roller and having an arcuate bearing surface eccentric to the bearing surface of said roller an-d projecting therebeyond at the ends of the rockers; and means for pivotally'suspending said rockers from a point above their connections to said roller, said rockers transmitting the load between said bearing surface of the housing and the truck bolster after the rockers have been rocked a predetermined amount; and means for centering said parts after the load has been removed. Y

2. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination witha housing adapted to be secured to a body bolster and having an interior bearing surface; of an anti-friction roller; a rocker connected to the aXis of said roller at each end thereof, each rocker having an arcuate bearing surface eccentric to the bearing surface of said roller and projecting therebeyond at the ends of said rockers; and resilient means for pivotally supporting said rockers froma point above their connections to Said roller, said roller initially transmitting the load between said bearing surface of the housing and the truck bolster and said rockers transmitting the load to said bearing surface after they have been rocked a predetermined amount by said roller.

3. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a housing adapted to be secured to a bolster or the like terior bearing surface; of an anti-friction roller; a rocker pivotally connectedfto each end of said roller at the aXis of the latter so as to be rocked thereby, and having an arcuate bearing surface eccentric to the bearing surface of .said roller and projecting therebeyond at the rocker ends, the central portions of said rockers being spaced from said bearing surfaces of the housing when the rockers are in their normal position; and springs at the sides of said rockers for pivotally engaging the same for supporting said rockers together with said roller, said rockers actuating said roller away from the bearing surface of the housing and transmitting the load between said last mentioned bearing surface and the cooperating opposed bolster after the rockers have been rocked apredetermined amount, after which the roller is revolvable about its pivotal connection to 'the rockers.

f4. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with a bearing surface; of rocking means having arcuate portions adapted to bear upon said bearing surface in certain positions thereof and provided with supporting elements remote from said bearing portions; an antifriction element having a curved bearing surface and having an in-V adapted to bear on said bearing surface when the parts are centered; connecting means mounted on said supporting elements upon Which said anti-friction element is rotatable, said curved bearing surface of said rocking means and said anti-friction element being of different radius whereby the anti-friction element in central position transmits the load in the direction of said bearing surface substantially free of said connecting means and upon movement of the anti-friction element and rocking means to one side of central position, said anti-friction element is supported for rotation about its axis upon said connecting means and transmits the load through said connecting means to said rocking means and said bearing surface; and yieldable means for maintaining said rocking means and said antifriction element in central position With reference to said bearing surface.

5. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination With a bearing surface; of rocking means having arcuate portions in certain positions adapted to bear upon said bearing surface,

said rocking means being provided With supporting elements remote from said bearing portions; an anti-friction element having an arcuate bearing surface of lesser 'radius than the arcuate surface of the rocker means; connecting means mounted on said supporting elements adapted When said rocking means is displaced from its centered position to a predetermined extent to support said roller free of said bearing surface for rotation about its axis, said anti-friction element directly engaging said bearing surface when said rocking means is in central position; and yieldable means for suspending said rocking means and said roller for operative movements, said yieldable means co-acting with said rocking means and roller to maintain the same in central position With reference to said bearing surface When free from load.

6. In an anti-friction bearing, the combination with relatively movable members having opposed, parallel bearin surfaces; of a housing secured to one of said members; an antifriction element engageable by said relatively movable bearing surfaces; movable means bearing on one of said opposed parallel surfaces for forcing the anti-friction element away from said surface and supporting the same for rotation about its axis free of said d bearing surface When moved beyond a predeb termined distance to either side of central position; and yielding means for returning and maintaining said movable means and anti-friction element in centered position l With reference to the housing.

w In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day of April, 1924.

JOHN F. OCONNOR. 

